KennyG
Elite Member
After seeing this thread drift into hood modifications and remote start, I am in awe of your ambition, sir.
Cab for the Kubota
- Thread starter fatjay
- Start date
Well, the aluminum guy is out of town til tuesday, which screws my weekend. Another shop has 1/8" for the same price, but I'm not sure about 1/8".
The cab will be insulated from the frame vibration and the roof will be insulated from the cab frame by a layer of foam and neoprene washers so there's no actual metal on metal contact. Not sure how effective it will be but worth a shot. All the aluminum body plates and roof will have matting on the inside for insulation and sound deadening. My last tractor was a bit on the loud side in the cab, looking to quiet it down quite a bit hopefully.
Also ordered my cab heater!
If I'm satisfied with the 1/8" I should be ready for paint by sunday. Here's hoping.
The cab will be insulated from the frame vibration and the roof will be insulated from the cab frame by a layer of foam and neoprene washers so there's no actual metal on metal contact. Not sure how effective it will be but worth a shot. All the aluminum body plates and roof will have matting on the inside for insulation and sound deadening. My last tractor was a bit on the loud side in the cab, looking to quiet it down quite a bit hopefully.
Also ordered my cab heater!
If I'm satisfied with the 1/8" I should be ready for paint by sunday. Here's hoping.
I will say this is my second cab build. I'm aware of the shortcomings of my first one, so I'm working to engineer my way around it.
This is an incomplete list, but so far...
$150 for steel. Could have been cheaper if I knew about the steel company in time. By about $100. If your'e doing something like this don't buy your steel from home depot.
$150 for 4'x8' 1/8" sheet aluminum from steel company. This will cover the top, lower part of doors, lower rear panels, and back panels. Will also use for panels inside that will have electrical switches and components behind them.
$5 for hood hardware. This was a stupidly easy modifictaion that eliminates the giant hassle of dealing with a cab on a tractor while not losing access to the engine. My other tractor I have to tilt back the entire cab to get the hood open. Hoods that close front to back also overlap with steering wheels, which means you get to choose being over the hood or being in the steering wheel.
$450 for new wire feed welder. Nuts and bolts are dumb when you want ridigity and stability. Wire feed lincoln on 110v will do 5/16" and is so easy to do, anyone can do it.
$8 for wireless relay. It has a keyfob with 2 buttons and 2 relays. They're only rated at 10a, and are momentary. You press the button and it comes on, you release and it turns off.
$7 for a single channel wireless relay. This one will be used to toggle key ACC on/off. Once the tractor is running, I can press this to activate the alternator, heater, lights, basically everything you get when you turn the key to on. Doesn't need to be high power(i hope).
$5x2 for 12v 50a starter relays. Need these for starter and glow plugs. Press button 1 on keyfob for 10 seconds to prime glow plugs, release and press and hold button 2 to start. When it starts just release.
$14 for single din radio with bluetooth. The market is flooded with these things really cheap, because all the new cars you can't use them.
$10 for overhead single din radio mount.
$15 for 2 4" speakers.
$7 for antenna for stereo.
$150 for 20,000BTU cab heater
$30 for 36"x48" 1/8" pleixiglass for windshield from home depot. Not crazy about the thickness, but we'll see how it works.
$20 for 8' of plastic E-Channel, which will hold the sliding side windows behind the doors. Basically cut to fit and glued in place, I can then insert plexiglass sheets in the channels with overlap, screw in some nobs to open/close the windows, and I'll be good to go.
This is an incomplete list, but so far...
$150 for steel. Could have been cheaper if I knew about the steel company in time. By about $100. If your'e doing something like this don't buy your steel from home depot.
$150 for 4'x8' 1/8" sheet aluminum from steel company. This will cover the top, lower part of doors, lower rear panels, and back panels. Will also use for panels inside that will have electrical switches and components behind them.
$5 for hood hardware. This was a stupidly easy modifictaion that eliminates the giant hassle of dealing with a cab on a tractor while not losing access to the engine. My other tractor I have to tilt back the entire cab to get the hood open. Hoods that close front to back also overlap with steering wheels, which means you get to choose being over the hood or being in the steering wheel.
$450 for new wire feed welder. Nuts and bolts are dumb when you want ridigity and stability. Wire feed lincoln on 110v will do 5/16" and is so easy to do, anyone can do it.
$8 for wireless relay. It has a keyfob with 2 buttons and 2 relays. They're only rated at 10a, and are momentary. You press the button and it comes on, you release and it turns off.
$7 for a single channel wireless relay. This one will be used to toggle key ACC on/off. Once the tractor is running, I can press this to activate the alternator, heater, lights, basically everything you get when you turn the key to on. Doesn't need to be high power(i hope).
$5x2 for 12v 50a starter relays. Need these for starter and glow plugs. Press button 1 on keyfob for 10 seconds to prime glow plugs, release and press and hold button 2 to start. When it starts just release.
$14 for single din radio with bluetooth. The market is flooded with these things really cheap, because all the new cars you can't use them.
$10 for overhead single din radio mount.
$15 for 2 4" speakers.
$7 for antenna for stereo.
$150 for 20,000BTU cab heater
$30 for 36"x48" 1/8" pleixiglass for windshield from home depot. Not crazy about the thickness, but we'll see how it works.
$20 for 8' of plastic E-Channel, which will hold the sliding side windows behind the doors. Basically cut to fit and glued in place, I can then insert plexiglass sheets in the channels with overlap, screw in some nobs to open/close the windows, and I'll be good to go.
Got the frames for the rear and side windows in place, roof cut, and one rear panel.
Whoever said cutting aluminum by table saw was easy should be drawn and quartered. Bought the special blade, worked well, but just didn't work well. Using a hand saw won't make it strait enough. It was a headache, but the big cuts are done.
Whoever said cutting aluminum by table saw was easy should be drawn and quartered. Bought the special blade, worked well, but just didn't work well. Using a hand saw won't make it strait enough. It was a headache, but the big cuts are done.
Radio, antenna, speakers, overhead mounting, and cab heater arrived today.
Cab heater is MUCH larger than I anticipated. Guess I should have measured first. Not sure where I'm going to position it, the dash is pretty much out at it's size. It's also a whole lot deeper than I anticipated. I think I'll mount at the rear, but that means running the water lines from up front all the way to the back, looking at 3' hose length vs about 8', a sizeable difference. I'm not sure if I'll lose heat a measurable amount of heat between running it all the way up.
Radio fit into the ceiling mount nicely. Antenna is bent due to poor packing, so no running strait up the rear of the cab. Not thrilled but it happens. Going to hook it all up to test later.
Another trip to the steel yard, another 4'x8' of 1/16" diamond plate aluminum plus 40 feet of 3/4"x 3/4" 1/8" angle iron.
Cab heater is MUCH larger than I anticipated. Guess I should have measured first. Not sure where I'm going to position it, the dash is pretty much out at it's size. It's also a whole lot deeper than I anticipated. I think I'll mount at the rear, but that means running the water lines from up front all the way to the back, looking at 3' hose length vs about 8', a sizeable difference. I'm not sure if I'll lose heat a measurable amount of heat between running it all the way up.
Radio fit into the ceiling mount nicely. Antenna is bent due to poor packing, so no running strait up the rear of the cab. Not thrilled but it happens. Going to hook it all up to test later.
Another trip to the steel yard, another 4'x8' of 1/16" diamond plate aluminum plus 40 feet of 3/4"x 3/4" 1/8" angle iron.
GPintheMitten
Elite Member
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2009
- Messages
- 3,336
- Location
- Flushing, Michigan
- Tractor
- Kubota B2620 with BH65 backhoe, Ford 2N
Have you thought about building a bump out somewhere for the heater?
I've thought about it, but not sure yet. I want to figure out a way that I don't have to take off the alternator to disconnect the heater. That line has water flowing all the time, so it has to remain open. I was thinking of an in line ball valve H to close off and redirect flow to heater, then I can disconnect the heater, open the H valve, close off other valves, and use it without the cab. But adding valves like that feels like adding a point of failure.
I think I'm going to get 20' of hose and put the heater in the top rear of the cab blowing forward. It'd be a bit of a pain to wire and pipe but would be the most unobstructed place I can think of. I can't put the back up against anything because the blower motor protrudes, and I need airflow for it to blow properly.
I think I'm going to get 20' of hose and put the heater in the top rear of the cab blowing forward. It'd be a bit of a pain to wire and pipe but would be the most unobstructed place I can think of. I can't put the back up against anything because the blower motor protrudes, and I need airflow for it to blow properly.